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Premature birth was associated strongly with increased odds of infant and young adult death, autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder according to an analysis of data on more than 3.3 million Swedish children born between 1973 and 2008. However, researchers said certain conditions previously linked to premature birth, including severe mental disorders, learning disabilities and suicide, may be more closely connected to other familial risk factors. The findings appear in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.

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Children with perinatal risk factors such as maternal smoking during gestation; cesarean section, preterm or breech births; low or unusually high birth weights; and low Apgar scores were more likely to develop obsessive compulsive disorder than those who didn't have such factors, according to a Swedish study in JAMA Psychiatry. The findings, based on data involving 2.4 million births in Sweden from 1973 to 1996 and followed through 2013, also showed that those with one risk factor had an 11% increased odds of developing OCD, while those with five or more risk factors had a 51% higher risk.

A study suggests that women with post-traumatic stress disorder are at significantly increased risk of delivering premature babies. Researchers evaluated Veterans Health Administration birth records for more than 16,000 veterans who delivered between 2000 and 2012. Of the 19% of mothers with PTSD, 12% had active PTSD, meaning they had experienced the condition within the past year. These women had a 35% greater risk of spontaneously delivering preterm (less than 37 weeks), compared with those without PTSD. This equates to two additional preterm births per 100 affected deliveries. The researchers found no significant connection between women with earlier diagnoses of PTSD and preterm birth. A growing number of studies have linked maternal stress and depression to preterm birth, but this is the largest study to specifically link PTSD to premature delivery. The findings, published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, raise hope that appropriate treatment of PTSD during the prenatal period could potentially improve maternal well-being and also infant outcomes, say the authors. Read more.

A new study suggests that women with post-traumatic stress disorder are at significantly increased risk of delivering premature babies. Researchers evaluated Veterans Health Administration records for more than 16,000 deliveries between 2000 and 2012. Of the mothers, 19% had diagnoses of PTSD, and 12% had active PTSD, meaning they had experienced the condition within the past year. These women had a 35% greater risk of spontaneously delivering preterm (earlier than 37 weeks), compared with those without PTSD. This equates to two additional preterm births per 100 affected deliveries. The researchers found no significant connection between women with earlier diagnoses of PTSD and preterm birth. A growing number of studies have linked maternal stress and depression to preterm birth, but this is the largest study to specifically link PTSD with premature delivery. The findings, published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, could help lead to appropriate treatment of PTSD during the prenatal period that might improve maternal well-being and infant outcomes, say the authors. Read the article.

The likelihood of developing autism spectrum disorder was 23% greater in children born via cesarean section compared with those born vaginally, according to an Irish study in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The link between C-section delivery and autism may be attributed to changes in gut bacteria or premature birth, and not necessarily the delivery procedure itself, researchers said.

Slightly premature birth, between 34 and 37 weeks of gestation, was not significantly linked to increased odds of developing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or learning disabilities compared with full-term birth, a study in the journal Pediatrics showed. The findings suggest that late preterm children may not need to be closely monitored for signs of learning problems any more than their full-term peers.